Monday, September 1, 2008

Pineapple Apple Pie

Feeling a bit inspired, I did a little magic in the kitchen and came up with this delightful dessert. It's a combination of my favorite french apple pie and my mom's tropical pineapple pie.

When I was little, my mom used to make these adorable crescent-shaped pineapple pies. She told me that when she was growing up in the Philippines, an apple was considered a luxury treat that was only enjoyed during special holidays like Christmas or New Year. Being the ingenious woman that she is, she decided to make pineapple pies instead. She basically replaced the apples with pineapples and created these mouthwatering morsels.

"Mom's Pineapple Pies"

So, being the ingenious daughter that I am, I decided to create my own twist on the classic apple pie. To me, french apple pies have a comfy, cozy quality about them that makes you feel right at home. It takes very little effort to make this pie, especially since I cheated a bit and used ready-made pie crust. If you have time to make pie crust from scratch, go right ahead. Patience is not always my virtue and sometimes a girl just has to cut corners when she wants some pie -and she wants it right now!

Combine all the topping ingredients except the butter in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients. Pour filling into the pie shell. Sprinkle topping over the filling. Cover the top loosely with some aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Continue baking for 40 minutes more or until apples are slightly tender when pierced with a fork. Cool for about 30 minutes and top each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream before serving.